The latest smartphone sales data from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, for the three months to August 2013, shows Windows Phone has posted its highest ever sales share of 9.2% across the five major European markets* and is now within one percentage point of iOS in Germany. Android remains the top operating system across Europe with a 70.1% market share, but its dominant position is increasingly threatened as growth trails behind both Windows and iOS.

Good news for Microsoft - bad news for Apple. Of course, we'll have to see how the iPhone 5S and 5C affect these numbers.

That comment assumes quite a bit. The biggest assumption is that Window Phone 8 actually needs to be replaced by an Android distribution. Have you actually tried Windows Phone 8?

He may be assuming it needs to be replaced. Long term sales figures seem to back that up. Even though Nokia has almost 90% of the niche and a big increase in sales lately their Devices and Services division is still projected to lose about 2% for Q3 '13.

All the sales and no profits ; what does that say? Especially since that includes multi-billon dollar partner payments from MSFT.

He appears to be declaring that he doesn't want even a great phone like one from the Lumia series with WP8 on it and would want one if something else were available on it. That's a preference, not an assumption.

You seem to be implying that he hasn't tried it and that if he had he wouldn't want something else. What evidence can you present to support that?

No his argument is that its the great Nokia hardware that is selling the phones. In reality the hardware is run of the mill mostly. Excepting the camera on the Nokia 1020, the other Nokia models are just running Snapdragon 800 processors...so what makes the hardware so great? Nothing, it's just that WP8 is more efficient on the same hardware with better battery efficiency and better controlled data consumption than Android flavors. That is because the battery efficiency, background task management and data consumption management is handled right in the WP8 os in a more strict way than Android. Because of basic hardware running more efficiently...this is the reason why people are impressed with the new Nokias. Hacking Android on them if it was even possible would negate this. This is why I asked has he even used WP8 because if he did he would notice these software mechanisms immediately. I did when I switched from Samsung S3 to Nokia 925. I'm writing this post on my 925 right now!

Yes, it sucks, HARD. Your argument is very very very tired. Anyone criticizes WP, all you hear back is "have you used it yet?" Like that will change people's mind! Yes, I used it, found NONE of the apps I regularly use, and promptly told the sales puke to show me a better phone with more apps.

Anyone that says WP8 has no apps has not seen the store in a while. I have found more useable apps for my Nokia 925 than I ever had for my Samsung s3. The store is growing at a good clip and I have been able to find all of the apps that I used to run on my Samsung and if I did not find the app then there was an equivalent that was as good or better. Nothing really missing at this point except for Instagram and there is a ton of replacements for that. Also Microsoft and Nokia have both been cranking out apps...apps that my friends see and it makes them want to trade un their S4s and iphone5s. MicrosoftPhotosynth is one of those cool apps. Nokia's Now+ driving app runs without a connection and is easier and smoother than Google maps, which is also available for WP8. My phone has sold on its own 5 people this week. After they see my Nokia being used during the workday, they want one. I can't blame them, I love mine and it never crashes.